I started a daily journaling practice back in 2020: I got a 5-year book and every day, I would write a few sentences about what happened that day. I enjoyed how it made me think about the day, and after the first year, it was fun to see what I had being doing a year ago that day, then two years, and so on.
The journal would have been finished this October (I started it on a random day when it came), but back in February, when Maggie was having health problems, thinking about the day became something I didn't want to do, and I gave it up. No regrets there, it happened and I'm not kicking myself. Life is messy, and often doesn't fit into plans.
I read a book recently in which one of the main characters is telling the other about how, in therapy when he was a kid, the therapist had him start writing a daily journal, but only a simple one: every day, he wrote about one good thing that happened that day. Sometimes it was a big thing and some days, he had to scrape to come up with anything, but he found it to be a good practice.
This idea bounced around in my head for a bit, and this weekend, I picked up a blank book and started it.
I was amused to see this option in the blank books, which honestly is a lesson I could stand to be reminded of:
But I like the one I got. It feels good in my hand, and the elastic to hold the pen is handy too. My rules (that are more like guidelines, or intentions):
- I am going to try hard to come up with at least one every day.
- I won't kick myself if I miss or skip a day.
- I will allow myself to add bonus good things.
- I will allow for negative-bad-things; not getting a flat tire counts as a good thing.
Do you do anything gratitude-y like this? Do you find it helps you on bad days?
I don't and probably should. I like to write but feel self-conscious using a journal. I sometimes use my blog for this purpose though.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome, C. I have a 5-year, one line a day journal, and I am now on year 4. I honestly love seeing all the super boring and mundane things that have happened in the last four years. Like, wow, we had stir fry for dinner on this day in 2022.
ReplyDeleteYes, I journal every day, and it's simple: mostly about recording experiences, and sorting through thoughts (good and bad) and identifying hoped-for things as well as gratitude. Sometimes it's just a photo. (I use an iPhone app.) It's a mental health strategy and I recommend it highly.
ReplyDeleteIn Rachel Remen's books (pretty sure it was the "My Grandfather's Blessings" one) she counseled someone who was badly depressed to find one thing that surprised him every day. He needed help to cope with dealing with and losing cancer patients he loved.
ReplyDeleteAt first it was begrudging, growing to, hey, that tumor didn't grow that I thought would, and gradually finally he found his way back to looking not just to be dutifully surprised to fulfill the assignment but actually grateful in his day, which he hadn't been for a long time.
It was one of those things that has stuck with me for several decades now: write, just write about your day. Notice things. The days get better if you do.
(P.S. I've met Dr. Remen. She is an amazing human being. She radiates love to every person who comes into her view.)
I started my line-a-day journal as a gratitude journal, but honestly some days it was too hard to find something and it just morphed into what I did that day. Lots of "Did laundry today" and "It rained in the afternoon," but also "I learned about the origin of the NATO alphabet today" and "Pol Pot is not his real name." LOL. I feel like someone reading it would be simultaneously bored and think I'm sort of slow for not knowing basic facts.
ReplyDeleteI have one of those 5-year Some Lines A day journals, and it's the only thing that's kept me in the habit of writing a little bit each day. On the one hand, I like seeing what I was thinking a year ago, but on the other... it's sometimes bums me out a lot to read an entry where I was excited or optimistic about something that turned out badly. And a lot of it is just variations on "I'm tired and I feel crappy." I like your idea better!
ReplyDeleteI originally started a gratitude journal, but I didn't like forcing myself to write only a certain thing. It felt dishonest to me. So, I simply wrote whatever I wanted.
ReplyDeleteThen I was introduced to The Good Things Jar, and that was better for me. I got a huge jar and had a small pad of paper next to it. Whenever something good happened--no matter how small--I wrote it down and put it in the jar. At the end of the year, I opened up the jar and read all the Good Things. It was really a wonderful exercise.
I have one of those journals and I'm on Year Four. I LOVED the first three years, but I'll admit it's starting to feel tedious all of a sudden. I'm determined to make it to the end, but then I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm already a bit anxious about the decision. Do I keep going and buy another one? I love having the record, but I haven't missed a single day and that can start to feel onerous...
ReplyDeleteI LOVE my Happy Things Friday posts and keep a list of happy things throughout the week as they happen on my weekly spread in my planner.
I have a one line a day journal and I love it! I am on Year 4 and it's so fun to read through what I was doing or thinking in 2022 or 2023 or whatever. I don't necessarily use it as a gratitude journal - maybe I'll do that when it's time for my NEXT 5-year journal - but mostly to record what I was doing. I also like being honest about my mental health struggles because it's interesting to see the ebbs and flows.
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